Perth Voice Interactive

Daughter tackles stigma with jumble sale

When Ciara Thiedeman’s mum took her own life in 2009, her dad told her “don’t mince your words”.

He told his daughter to be direct about how Noreen Lowe had died and to be open about her mental illness.

Four years on Ms Thiedeman still lives by the advice.

Marking her 40th birthday, she wants to get people talking freely about mental illness and suicide.

She’s holding a fashion fundraiser at Aranmore primary, and has been flooded with donated clothing for sale on the night, including from Perth’s celebrity jet-set.

The family has been weighed under with stacks of donated clothes, including from Ben Elton, Geoff Gallop, Sally Obermeder, Jessica Rowe and the Wildcats (the Lingerie Football League team the WA Angels are modeling donations on the night).

“I’ve always loved second-hand clothes and dressed head to toe in them, a passion that came from my mum,” Ms Thiedeman smiles.

“I grew up in a family of five children in poverty, we were raised on Vinnies’ vouchers and I grew up in hand-me-downs.”

All funds are going to Vincentcare, the support program for people with mental illness that helps them maintain their independence and life skills.

Ms Thiedeman says her mum died shortly after leaving hospital, when she was discharged with a bottle of pills and not much else.

“If my mum had been offered respite at a place like Vincentcare, she’d probably still be alive today.

“She had severe bouts of depression growing up,” she recalls of her childhood in Ireland. After I left home there was a big gulf in her life. Her mental illness got worse.”

For many years her mum’s borderline personality disorder was undiagnosed and not discussed.

“We didn’t know how to talk to each other about it. It was difficult and painful and there was this element of shame.

“In Ireland we use phrases like ‘she’s bad with her nerves’,” rather than confront mental health and suicide in the deeply Catholic country.

Ms Thiedeman says the level of support for the fundraiser shows people are open, even keen, to talk about mental illness if given the opportunity. She says many have come forward with their own stories.

“It’s an indictment of how much people want to talk about this issue but don’t know how,” she says.

“If we were able to talk about it more readily, we might be able to save a few lives.

“I don’t think the problem would be as bad if it wasn’t for the shame and stigma.”

The Second to None fundraiser is on October 25, head to secondtonone.gofundraise.com.au/ for info and gala tickets.

by DAVID BELL